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The earliest known Shakespeare films
The cinema's love affair with Shakespeare dates from the earliest days of film. In its infancy film was regarded as a rather lowbrow medium, and the budding film industry attempted to elevate its cultural status by imitating the theatre. Adapting the works of Shakespeare was the filmmakers' greatest challenge, especially since films at that time – before WWI – tended to be only one or two reels long.
The seven films in this unique collection – from Britain, Italy and the USA – are created from the only known surviving materials, nitrate prints preserved by the BFI's National Archive. They include beautiful examples of hand stencilling and tinted prints. There is a magical version of A Midsummer Night's Dream containing some remarkable special effects, a charming five-minute film of The Tempest, and the very first Shakespeare film ever made, King John, in 1899. This unique and fascinating record shows us the exuberance, invention and conviction of these early filmmakers and demonstrates the possibility of the Shakespearean text.Synopsis
King John (GB 1899 2 min) the first Shakespeare film ever made, released both as a film in variety theatres and as a peepshow Mutoscope on the same day as Tree's production of the play opened at the Her Majesty's Theatre, London. Courtesy of the EYE Filminstitute, The Netherlands.
The Tempest (GB 1908 12 min)
A Midsummer Night's Dream (USA 1909 12 min)
King Lear/Re Lear (Italy 1910 16 min)
Twelfth Night (USA 1910 12 min)
The Merchant of Venice/Il Mercante di Venezia (Italy 1910 10 min)
Richard III (GB 1911 23 min) a condensed version of one of the Stratford productions mounted by the F.R. Benson Company.Running time: 87 mins
Scores by Laura Rossi, commissioned by the BFI
2016 Season Trailer
Three Spellbinding Performances
An Unforgettable Cinema Experience.
In cinemas in HD from May 2016.
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Creative
Director:
VariousDirectors (King John):
William Kennedy-Laurie Dickson and Walter Pfeffer DandoDirectors (A Midsummer Night's Dream):
J. Stuart Blackton and Charles KentDirector (King Lear):
Gerolamo Lo SavioDirector (Twelfth Night):
Charles KentDirector (Merchant of Venice):
Gerolamo Lo SavioCast
King John:
Herbert Beerbohm TreePrince Henry:
Dora SeniorRobert Bigot:
F. M. PagetEarl of Pembroke:
James FisherBottom:
William V. RanousLysander:
Maurice CostelloDemetrius:
Walter AckermanHelena:
Julia Swayne GordonHermia:
Rose TapleyPuck:
Gladys HuletteQuince:
Charles ChapmanFairies:
Helene Costello, Dolores CostelloKing Lear:
Ermete NovelleCordelia:
Francesca BertiniViola:
Florence TurnerMalvolio:
Charles KentOlivia:
Julia Swayne GordonOrsino:
Tefft JohnsonShylock:
Ermete NovelleJessica:
Francesca BertiniPortia:
Olga Giannini NovelliKing Henry VI:
James BerryKing Edward IV:
Alfred BrydoneEdward, Prince of Wales / King Edward V:
Kathleen YorkeRichard, Duke of York:
Hetty KenyonGeorge, Duke of Clarence:
Murray CarringtonRichard, Duke of Gloucester / King Richard III:
F. R. BensonHenry, Earl of Richmond / King Henry VII:
Eric MaxonDuke of Buckingham:
Moffat JohnstonDuke of Norfolk:
James MacleanEarl of Surrey, his son:
Victor McClureEarl Rivers:
R. I. ConrickEarl of Oxford:
George ManshipLord Hastings:
Harry CaineLord Stanley:
Wilfred CaithnessSir Richard Ratcliff:
L. RupertSir James Tyrrel:
H. JamesSir William Catesby:
Alfred WildSir James Blount:
Cecil DightonSir Robert Brackenbury:
John HowellLord Mayor of London:
J. VictorFirst murderer:
H. O. NicholsonSecond murderer:
A. WildElizabeth, Queen of King Edward IV:
Violet FarebrotherDuchess of York, mother to King Edward IV, Clarence and Gloucester:
Elinor AickinLady Anne, Widow of Edward, Prince of Wales, son to King Henry VI, afterwards married to the duke of Gloucester:
Constance Benson -
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